Cleveland Department of Public Health reproductive community health mobile clinic rotates between several city rec centers throughout the week. Credit: Cleveland Department of Public Health

The Cleveland Department of Public Health is planning to expand its fleet this summer with a new community health mobile clinic to connect residents to vital services, information and screenings to reduce barriers to care. 

The 2022 Cuyahoga County Community Health Needs Assessment found that accessible and affordable healthcare was one of the top needs for Northeast Ohio residents. Many of the 3,100 residents who completed the survey indicated that there was a need to address “knowledge and information gaps through education and outreach and provide preventive screenings for residents who had transportation challenges.” 

Katrese Minor, the health department’s director of community health initiatives, said the newest unit will be that bridge for residents. The unit will provide educational pamphlets about the department’s services such as tobacco cessation programs and  other city- and county-wide health programs at community events. 

“The goal has always been to improve our outreach because residents always say they want to know what services are available to them,” Minor said. 

In 2021, Cleveland City Council approved legislation to spend more than $1 million to purchase two vehicles. The health department said it would use the money to build two customized vehicles that could carry medical equipment and allow staff to provide services, according to Cleveland Documenter Marvetta Rutherford. 

The city’s first mobile unit deployed at the end of February 2024. It rotates between Cleveland’s three recreation centers (Zelma George, Michale J. Zone and Thurgood Marshall) during the week. Minor said this mobile clinic mirrors the preventive health and reproductive care services provided at the public health department’s two clinics, J. Glen Smith Health Center on St. Clair Avenue and McCafferty Health Center on Lorain Avenue. 

“We also know that reproductive health sometimes is the entry point into other care, and sometimes for people, it’s the only source of ongoing care,” Minor said. 

The unit is staffed with city public health nurses who can screen for HIV and sexually transmitted infections and provide pregnancy tests, contraception and other family planning and counseling services. The unit also provides medical screenings such as weight and blood pressure checks. 

‘Ensure residents are living their healthiest lives’ 

Minor said while there were a number of delays, including maintenance mishaps and an aluminum shortage that affected vehicle parts, the hope for this second mobile unit is to partner with local agencies to deliver services and programs.

The unit will eventually provide childhood immunization services and adult vaccinations like flu and COVID-19 shots, she said. Later this year, the department plans to create more advertisements about the services and the mobile clinics. 

“We wanted to make sure there were no hiccups, so this first unit was a soft launch to let people know we are out there,” Minor said. “This is just the first of many steps in removing barriers to healthcare and ensuring residents are living their healthiest lives.”

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Also noted by Cleveland Documenters

Candice covered health and arts and culture for Signal Cleveland until July, 2024. Her health reporting focused on women's health and lead poisoning.

Cleveland Documenters pays and trains people to cover public meetings where government officials discuss important issues and decide how to spend taxpayer money.